Caring for Red Worms

Worm farming is an interesting hobby and a great way to create potting soil or raise your own live fishing bait. Red worms are generally the best for raising at home because they are more durable than earthworms. Caring for red worms is something you can do year round, and feeding or harvesting can be an interesting family activity.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic tote, size of a large shoebox or larger
  • Moistened shredded newspaper (black and white print)
  • 8 cups garden soil
  • Crushed boiled eggshells
  • Low acidic fruit, vegetable , bread and grain scraps
  • Garden trowel
  • Red worms
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make holes in the tote lid with a nail or screw driver to allow air into the worm habitat.

    • 2

      Shred black and white newspaper and add to the tote. Cover the newspaper with soil and eggshells.

    • 3

      Add food scraps. Red worms eat about half their weight each day, so measure accordingly. Overfeeding can cause odor and attract insects.

    • 4

      Add the red worms to the habitat. Worms can be placed on top the bedding. They will dig and burrow on their own.

    • 5

      Place the tote in a dark place. Lighted areas are also acceptable if there is good ventilation in the tote. Keep away from direct sunlight.

    • 6

      Add food scraps to the habitat as needed. After a short time, small cocoons will appear, which indicate reproduction has occurred. After several weeks, worms will hatch from the cocoons. The boiled eggshells with provide the newborn worms with calcium.

    • 7

      Harvest the soil or worms as desired. Once the bedding and food scraps are no longer discernible, change the bedding. This bedding is full of worm castings and nutrients broken down by the worms, and can be used as a fertilizer in the garden. As the new red worms grow larger, the older worms can safely be removed and used as bait or used to create more worm farms.